1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing a user with education financing information and, more particularly, relates to enabling the user to receive financial award information from an educational institution over a computer network concerning a potential student and enabling that user to obtain cost projection information, such as loan repayment information, based on the award.
2. Related Art
Many individuals require financial assistance in paying for an education, whether it be in the form of grants, scholarships, special employment (e.g., work-study programs), and/or loans. Many such educational institutions (e.g., schools, such as colleges and universities) provide various forms of assistance in obtaining financial aid for potential students.
Typically, financial aid offices at schools assemble financial award information including, for example, financial aid award packages containing monetary awards which are funded from one or more grants, scholarships, work study or teaching assistanceship jobs, and/or loans. Representatives of the financial aid offices will often tailor these financial aid award packages for the potential students and, therefore, the awards will often be different (based on, for example, financial need, the desirability of the student, etc.).
The financial aid office will mail many (i.e., a batch or lot) financial aid award packages to potential students with the hope that the financial aid award is attractive to the student and that the student will accept the award and attend the school. The cost for mailing many financial aid award packages can be substantial, for example, each package may cost approximately $10.00 to mail to 1000 potential students. Accordingly, schools are interested in other modes of transmitting financial aid award packages to their potential students which are less costly.
Typically, the loans which find the financial aid awards include federal loans, such as Perkins and Stafford loans. The interest rates for these loans are not within the control of the schools or the financial institutions which issue those loans and, therefore, the student/parent decision on accepting a financial aid award package usually is influenced in other ways. Further, the schools and financial institutions will have little opportunity to influence the potential students to accept the award after the packages have been sent out in the mail. Accordingly, schools and financial institutions are interested in other modes of influencing the potential students to accept the award packages and admission after the awards are mailed.
The amount of money offered in a financial aid award package for a particular student is often dependent on a total amount of funds available to the school by way of grants, scholarships, work-study, etc. Accordingly, when potential students decline financial aid award packages additional funds may be available to offer to the other potential students, thereby positively influencing the student/parent decision on accepting a financial aid award package and attending the school. Thus, the schools are interested in obtaining a student/parent decision on the financial aid award packages as soon as possible. Unfortunately, using current processes there may be significant delays between the time that a student receives a financial aid award package and the time that the student responds to the package with an acceptance or declination.
A student/parent must weigh many factors in accepting or declining a financial aid award package. In particular, the student/parent must determine whether he or she can afford to attend the school even if a financial aid award package is given. Thus, the student/parent must review the cost of attendance, including any direct and indirect costs, in light of the financial aid award package and project the net costs to the student/parent in meeting the unmet needs (including loan repayment schedules) for attendance. This typically involves contacting an expert (or accessing some software) who is capable of projecting costs for the student/parent based on input from the student/parent. In working with an expert, the student/parent should consider prior school loan obligations (for example, loans incurred to obtain an earlier degree or course of study) in projecting the costs and loan repayment obligations to attend another school. In determining loan repayments, the student/parent should consider total loan balance, a repayment schedule, interest rate(s), etc. Loan repayment information should be obtained for particular school terms, particular years, and a total for all years of study.
A system called CollegeNET has been developed and offered by Sallie Mae which provides a system for presenting financial award information over the Internet to potential students. A particular school mails an award letter to a potential student which includes a user name and password to access a secure website. The student logs onto the website and accesses their financial aid award package. The student can choose a preferred lender if a loan is awarded and input other information necessary for accepting the award. The student's response to the award is reported to the school.
Unfortunately, the CollegeNET system suffers from several disadvantages, among others: (i) the website does not provide an opportunity to review cost projections or manipulate loan variables such that the student/parent can determine what the loan repayment obligations will be; (ii) the student/parent cannot modify the financial aid award package to reflect other sources of funds which would alter cost projections and/or loan repayment obligations; and (iii) the system does not provide the student/parent with information as to the break-out of the cost of attendance in terms of direct and indirect costs to the student/parent.
Sallie Mae, Nellie Mae, Educaid, and Citibank offer on-line websites which provide calculating functions to project costs, such as loan repayment obligations. These systems, however, are not linked with a financial aid award package website and, therefore, require the user to input all information necessary for obtaining a cost projection or loan repayment schedule.
Further, in addition to financial aid based on need, some students obtain financial aid based on merit, or a combination of need and merit. There is a need for users to be able to determine education financing requirements based on merit based financial aid packages as well as combination packages. Further, there is a need for users to be able to determine financial requirements for students for higher education even where no financial assistance is provided.
Accordingly, there is a need for a new method and apparatus for providing students and parents with education financing information, particularly financial aid award packages, where the student/parent can: (i) easily review the financial aid award package; (ii) review cost projections (e.g. loan repayment information); (iii) view and select potential lenders; (iv) modify a financial aid award package to include, for example, other sources of funds outside the award or to increase/decrease, for example, the amount(s) of loan(s) awarded, so that a more informed decision may be made. There is also a need for a method and system which can: (i) reduce the costs for a school to transmit financial aid award packages to potential students; (ii) quickly modify the financial aid award packages based on accept/decline/postpone decisions of the students/parents; and (iii) provide influence on the student/parent decision at the time of reviewing the award package.